Herzliya Pituach - Investigators from the Lahav 433 National Crime Unit of the
Israel Police raided luxury homes in the upscale beachfront Herzliya Pituach
neighborhood last week, in cooperation with an international investigation led
by
Interpol.
The investigation raised suspicions that the homeowners,
principally French Jews, may have committed tax fraud and laundered money
through real estate purchases.
The National Tax Authority's Yahalom
Intelligence and Investigations Unit is also taking part in the investigation.
Presently, the tax authority is mainly assisting police, but the agency said it
was also preparing to broaden its own investigation.
Going forward, Lahav 433's investigation may include
additional enforcement agencies under the assumption that the money was
transferred to Israel via interbank transfers.
Police were planning to
investigate which banks and by what means the funds were transferred to Israel,
whether other Israeli bodies or officials were involved in the transfers or tax
fraud, such as contractors and developers.
Herzliya Pituach contains some of the most expensive
residential real estate in the country. Over the past three years, 79 luxury
homes have been sold in the area, with prices ranging from 10 million to 44.7
million shekels ($2.8 million to $12.7 million).
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